British Red Cross

In 2003 Jamie travelled to Angola as an ambassador for the British Red Cross to report on the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in helping the country’s many thousands of amputees. The story was covered in the UK by the Sunday Mail newspaper.Having only recently abandoned its 27 year long civil war, Angola was in a terrible state when Jamie visited. The country’s infrastructure was shattered, its economy was ruined and an estimated 4.28 million people displaced.One of the worst legacies of the war was the vast number of landmines and unexploded munitions left behind, lying silently in the ground, waiting to kill, maim and mutilate the innocent people, many of them children, who have to work and travel the land in order to scratch their meagre living.

It is these land mines which account for many of the huge numbers of amputees in Angola, many of whom have no access to prosthetic treatment, rehabilitation, or healtcare of any kind.

Prosthetic and Orthotic workshops set up by the Red Cross and other chartities such as Jamie and Olivia’s charity 500 miles, are often the only hope that amputees in Angola and many other charities around the world have of being able to walk, go to school and earn a living.